Guide
How the kit works
Enter with Skybound Feather to deal Havoc DMG, apply one stack of Havoc Bane and gain one Azure Plume. Succor and Smite gives you up to four consecutive attacks in either stance. They consume Melody, and the fourth hit applies another stack of Havoc Bane.
Use Feather's Edge shortly after a Basic Attack to switch stances with a hit counted as Heavy Attack DMG. The Basic Attack cycle stays in place briefly after the switch. Once Melody is empty, the skill changes: cast it to switch stances, restore 100 Melody, gain one Azure Plume and consume one Havoc Bane stack on the target.
The Way of Ten Thousand Voices lets you spend two Azure Plume on a Heavy Attack. In Azure stance, hold Normal Attack for a cyclone. In Feather stance, hold it on the ground for a Heavy Attack followed by Feather Fall. After Feather Fall, follow with the three-hit Havoc in Bloom cycle, whose damage counts as Heavy Attack DMG.
Hush of a Thousand Voices consumes all Melody, grants one Azure Plume and raises Havoc Bane to its maximum on targets hit. Your next enhanced stance switch also summons an attack. As the Wind Wills deals damage and gives other team members Tonal Switch for 20 seconds; a member who applies Havoc Bane gains 20% Havoc DMG Amplification.
Build and why
The recommended Echo setup uses five pieces of Song of Feathered Trace. The supplied set details give its two-piece effect: 10% Energy Regen. That helps with Liberation availability; the five-piece effect is not included in the data.
Azure Oath is the first weapon choice. After Yangyang: Xuanling applies Havoc Bane, it gives her 36% Heavy Attack DMG Amplification and lets that damage ignore 12% of the target's DEF for 8 seconds. Her kit has several ways to apply the status and deal damage of that type.
For stats, Crit. Rate is worth considering because her enhanced attacks have large Crit. DMG increases. Energy Regen is another useful option if you need more frequent Liberations. Treat these as suggestions rather than a fixed stat spread.
Leveling priority
A suggested leveling order is The Way of Ten Thousand Voices, Hush of a Thousand Voices, Feather's Edge, Succor and Smite, then Skybound Feather. The forte comes first here because its Heavy Attacks and follow-up cycle are central to her field time. Liberation and the stance switches are also used regularly.
For maximum ascension, collect 170,000 Shell Credit, 4 LF Autopuppet Kernel, 12 MF Autopuppet Kernel, 12 HF Autopuppet Kernel, 4 FF Autopuppet Kernel, 46 Solidarity's Loneflame and 60 Cloudperch Seed.
To max all skills, collect 2,030,000 Shell Credit, 25 LF Autopuppet Kernel, 28 MF Autopuppet Kernel, 40 HF Autopuppet Kernel, 57 FF Autopuppet Kernel, 26 Skyward Glazed Heart, 25 Broken Wing Polarizer, 28 Monowing Polarizer, 55 Polywing Polarizer and 67 Layered Wing Polarizer.
Resonance Chain nodes worth it
River Carries Her Song Away (sequence 2) is a good upgrade to consider for damage: it increases the damage of both stance Heavy Attacks, Feather Fall and Havoc in Bloom attacks by 100%. After more than four seconds out of combat following combat or revival, it also restores two Azure Plume and resets the cooldowns for the two stance Crit. DMG effects.
Let the Azure Keep Its Light (sequence 6) is another damage-focused option. After she applies Havoc Bane, targets take 40% more Heavy Attack DMG from her for 30 seconds. Its other effect can summon guaranteed critical attacks when nearby team members apply the listed negative statuses.
At the Wind's Breath, the Blossoms Wake (sequence 1) adds damage to enhanced stance switches and gives interruption immunity to several attacks. Take Wing. Take Wing. (sequence 5) is less appealing if survival is already comfortable: it prevents a fatal blow and heals her, but offers no direct damage increase. You can stop before it if that protection is not needed.
Teams
Chisa is a suggested partner, with Shorekeeper as another teammate to consider. Phrolova and Rover: Havoc are other named options. Check the rest of their kits when assembling the team rather than assuming every Havoc character applies Havoc Bane.
Yangyang: Xuanling wants time on the field and benefits when nearby team members apply Havoc Bane. Those applications build Feathered Oath, which can add up to 150% Crit. DMG to her listed enhanced attacks while she is active. They also build Windbound for One Life, One Blade, eventually enabling an attack that applies six stacks.
Leave room for a teammate who can help the team survive. Her Outro can also support another damage dealer who applies Havoc Bane, but its amplification does not apply to Yangyang: Xuanling herself.
Common mistakes
Do not leave an empty Melody gauge unattended. Use the enhanced stance switch to refill it and gain Azure Plume. Equally, watch your Plume count: at two, you can use the appropriate Heavy Attack instead of continuing the normal cycle.
Do not switch out too early during the Feather follow-up. Feather Fall opens a 12-second window for Havoc in Bloom, and its third hit ends the cycle. Finish it when the fight gives you room.
Do not expect every stance switch to get the enhanced hit. Switch shortly after a Basic Attack, or use the replacement skill after Melody is depleted. The switches can also trigger a successful Dodge during a short window, at the cost of 50 Melody.
Keep Havoc Bane on your target in mind. Enhanced switches consume a stack, while Liberation raises stacks to the maximum on hit. Also remember that the large stance Crit. DMG effects can each be gained only once every 25 seconds.
